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CM . . .
. Volume X Number 14 . . . . March 12, 2004
excerpt:
Bored by the lack of selection of new socks in the local store, Tina dreams of getting across the river to the store where they have "really good socks!" Lacking a car or access to a local bridge, Tina cajoles her grandfather into rowing his boat with a broken motor across the river to the local store where she finds the perfect pair of "red, yellow, and green socks."
Everything seems fine until Tina asks her mother for a new red, yellow, and green sweater which she'll wear until her friends wash it for her. Munsch and Martchenko have partnered again to provide children with a wacky reading adventure. Illustrations are the key component to the setting and humour of the story. Economic status is subtly conveyed through the characters' housing and clothing. Humour is created by the expressions on human and animal faces. Tina's joy, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and innocent deception are all conveyed through Martchenko's warm illustrative style. Educators, librarians and public health nurses might incorporate this book into environmental units or personal hygiene classes as it discusses how Tina's lifestyle affects people, animals, and the environment. Munsch's book will help affluent children to appreciate the challenges of lower socio-economic families, and urban children can "experience" living in an isolated location with limited services and resources. Discussing the differences between "needs" and "wants" can develop resource stewardship skills and social skills, such as empathy. All families, but in particular lower socio-economic families, can also be given hope by this story. Munsch depicts Tina's overcoming obstacles by utilizing the resources that she has at hand such as a boat, oars, and people, like her grandfather, who care. Hope is the sustenance of dreams. In Smelly Socks, Martchenko and Munsch give readers sustenance. Highly Recommended. Denise Weir of Brandon, MB, is a library consultant with Manitoba Culture Heritage and Tourism, Public Library Services.
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Infatuated with her perfect socks, Tina refuses to take them off. When animals faint and geese fall from the sky from the smell, Tina's friends force her down to the river, wash her socks, and prevent an environmental disaster.